Port Noarlunga, South Australia

Port Noarlunga
Adelaide, South Australia

Port Noarlunga jetty and reef, viewed from Witton Bluff

Population

2,632 (2011 census)^[1]

Established

1859

Postcode(s)

5167

LGA(s)

City of Onkaparinga

Suburbs around Port Noarlunga:
	Christies Beach^[2]	Noarlunga Centre^[2]
	Port Noarlunga	Noarlunga Downs^[2]
	Port Noarlunga South^[2]	Seaford Meadows^[2]

Port Noarlunga is a suburb in the City of Onkaparinga, South Australia. It is a small sea-side suburb, population 2,632,^[1] about 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the south of the Adelaide city centre and was originally created as a sea port. This area is now popular as a holiday destination or for permanent residents wishing to commute to Adelaide or work locally. There is a jetty that connects to a 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) long natural reef that is exposed at low tide. The beach is large and very long and has reasonable surfing in the South Port area whose name is taken from its location - 'South of the Port'.^[3]

The suburb is bounded to the south by the Onkaparinga River, including a tidal estuary. It is bounded to the west by the Gulf St Vincent, by Christies Beach to the north and by Noarlunga Centre and Noarlunga Downs to the east.^[2]

History

In pre-European times, this area along with most of the Adelaide plains was inhabited by the Kaurna tribe.

The first record of the area was provided by Captain Collet Barker who explored the Onkaparinga River on 15 April 1831 in his search for a Gulf outlet from Lake Alexandrina. In early 1837, while camped by the Sturt River near Marion, South Australia's only two horses slipped their tether ropes during the night and the overseer of stock, C.W. Stuart led an expedition to recover them. Taking a botanist to record the plants encountered, the expedition searched much of present-day Noarlunga before finding the horses near the Onkaparinga River. The men being on foot were however, unable to capture them. In June 1837, Colonel William Light led an overland expedition to arrest whalers who had been abducting native women at Encounter Bay, 100 km south of Adelaide. Cresting Tapleys Hill they named the valley Morphett Vale after expedition member John Morphett. They reached the southern end of the Mount Lofty Ranges before impenetrable scrub forced them to return to Adelaide. The following year, John McLaren of the Survey Dept. divided the area south of Adelaide into three districts (B.C and D) based on the reports made by the Stuart and Light expeditions. B and C districts, the present Noarlunga District, was opened to public selection in February 1839 and by 1841 the population was estimated to be about 150.^[4] The government town of Port Noarlunga was surveyed and offered for sale on 14 April 1859.^[3]

The township was originally settled as a port for the produce from the proposed market town of Noarlunga a few kilometres upstream. The Onkaparinga River mouth proved unsuitable to coastal ketches, so produce was barged down river to the sandhills and then taken by horse drawn rail trucks to the jetty. The current jetty was constructed in 1921 and is the second jetty to have been constructed at Port Noarlunga. The original jetty, 30 metres south of the current jetty, was constructed in 1855, but was destroyed in several severe storms in the early 1900s.^[3]

In the early 20th century Port Noarlunga was a popular coastal holiday destination, with the beach proving an attraction with its natural beauty and in summer amusement fairs were run, as well as row boating on the river estuary. Port Noarlunga Post Office opened around November 1909.^[5]

With the gradual incursion of urban sprawl, and in particular immigration-fuelled expansion in the 1960s and 1970s, the township eventually became an outer suburb of Adelaide. The South Australian Housing Trust in particular developed housing in the nearby areas of Christies Beach and O'Sullivan Beach and with the extension of the metropolitan rail line to adjacent Noarlunga Centre in 1978 the township of Port Noarlunga had largely lost its attraction as a holiday destination.

It is now largely occupied by permanent residents, although it still retains much of its early village charm. The City of Onkaparinga council has assisted with maintaining this spirit of the old township, working with the State government in the late 1990s to divert through road traffic around the town centre.

Attractions

Port Noarlunga jetty

Beach and jetty

The beach and the jetty are the biggest attractions to visitors. The close proximity of a diverse range of aquatic features making this area stand out from other coastal locations. There is also a small main street (Gawler Street) that serves visitors and locals in this beach area. It has several cafes, a pub, a fish and chip shop, a surf shop and several other businesses providing services to the locals. The old "Institute" building, built in 1924, is now the community centre.

Port Noarlunga Reef

Port Noarlunga Reef is a narrow reef about 400 metres (1,300 ft) offshore and about 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) long and was formed from a consolidated Pleistocene sand dune. The reef runs parallel to shore and has two sections, with the area separating them called The Gap. It is a popular scuba diving and snorkelling location, with more than 200 marine plant species and over 60 fish species. There is a self-guided diving trail which was established in 1994, which is marked with a series of 12 glass plaques. The plaques indicate aspects of the reef ecosystem relevant to their location.^[6]

Port Noarlunga Aquatic Reserve

Port Noarlunga Reef at low tide, view to South from the jetty

The Port Noarlunga Aquatic Reserve was the first aquatic reserve proclaimed in South Australia, being established in 1971 to protect the reef life and the adjacent river estuary. The boundaries of the reserve were extended to the north in 1993 to include an adjacent limestone reef known as Horseshoe Reef at Christies Beach. As of 2007, it extends along the coastline from Onkaparinga Head at Port Noarlunga South in the south to Gulfview Road at Christies Beach in the north and includes the Onkaparinga River up until the Main South Road at Old Noarlunga. The reserve covers an area of 527 hectares (1,300 acres). Fishing activity is limited to the use of rod and handline while the use of ‘hand nets for the taking of shrimps for bait only’ is permitted in estuary and the Onkaparinga River. No fishing is permitted within 25 metres (82 ft) of Horseshoe and Port Noarlunga Reefs and can only be carried out from the jetty and the beach at Port Noarlunga.^[6]^[7]^[8]

Port Noarlunga Aquatic Centre

Since 1976 the Port Noarlunga Aquatic Centre has operated classes for primary school children from throughout the state. The program runs in the first and last school terms each year and provides the opportunity to try waveskiing, canoeing, fishing, snorkelling, sailing, swimming and sailboarding. About 15,000 students have access to this program each year.^[3]

Onkaparinga Community Playground

In the south of the suburb there is a large community playground. This is a community built playground and as such is unique to South Australia. A$250 000 was raised from community sponsorship before the playground was built using community labour over the period of 18–23 June 2002. This project began after research by "Living Neighbourhood" in nearby Christies Beach. There was a public meeting, after which a non-profit incorporated body was formed for the project.

Notes and references

Notes

1 2 "Port Noarlunga Code SSC40595 (SSC)". ABS. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
1 2 3 4 5 6 "City of Onkaparinga suburb boundaries map". City of Onkaparinga. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
1 2 3 4 Martella, L: "Port Noarlunga An Endearing Coastal Town". Lita Martella, 2000
↑ David J. Towler A Fortunate Locality-History of Noarlunga and Districts Published for the City of Noarlunga by Peacock Publications 1986 ISBN 0-909209-11-1
↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
1 2 "Port Noarlunga Reef Underwater Trail" (PDF). Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA (PIRSA). Retrieved 9 October 2014.
↑ "Aquatic Reserves - Port Noarlunga" (PDF). PIRSA Fisheries. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
↑ "Summary of SA Marine Protected Areas by Type (see 'SA Reserve List' tab)". Australian Government - Department of the Environment. 10 February 2003. Retrieved 5 October 2014.

References

Martella, Lita. Port Noarlunga An Endearing Coastal Town. Australia: Lita Martella. ISBN 0-646-40222-6.
Onkaparinga Estuary Information Package Accessed 5 March 2013.
Postcards profile

External links

Discover Port Noarlunga

Suburbs of the City of Onkaparinga

Protected areas of South Australia

National parks	Belair Canunda Coffin Bay Coorong Flinders Chase Ikara-Flinders Ranges Gawler Ranges Great Australian Bight Marine Innes Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Lake Gairdner Lake Torrens Lincoln Malkumba-Coongie Mount Remarkable Murray River Naracoorte Caves Nullarbor Onkaparinga River Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges Witjira

Conservation parks	Acraman Creek Aldinga Scrub Althorpe Islands Angove Avoid Bay Islands Baird Bay Islands Bakara Baudin Baudin Rocks Beachport Beatrice Islet Beyeria Busby Islet Billiatt Bird Islands Black Hill Breakaways Butchers Gap Cap Island Cape Blanche Cape Gantheaume Cape Willoughby Carpenter Rocks Carribie Chadinga Cleland Clinton Cooltong Cox Scrub Cygnet Estuary Danggali Deep Creek Douglas Point Dudley Eba Island Ediacara Elliot Price Eric Bonython Ewens Ponds Fairview Ferguson Finniss Fort Glanville Fowlers Bay Franklin Harbor Gambier Islands Giles Goose Island Greenly Island Guichen Bay Gum Laqoon Kelly Hill Hacks Lagoon Hale Hallett Cove Hincks Horsnell Gully Ironstone Hill Kaiserstuhl Kellidie Bay Lake Gilles Lake Newland Lashmar Lathami Laura Bay Lesueur Leven Beach Lincoln Lipson Island Little Dip Mamungari Mantung Marino Martindale Hall Minlacowie Moana Sands Montacute Morialta Mount Brown Mount Dutton Bay Mount Magnificent Mount Taylor Munyaroo Nene Valley Nepean Bay Neptune Islands Newland Head Nicolas Baudin Island Ngarkat Nuyts Archipelago Nuyts Reef Olive Island Para Wirra Paranki Lagoon Parndana Peebinga Penguin Island Pelican Lagoon Pigface Island Point Bell Point Davenport Point Labatt Piccaninnie Ponds Pinkawillinie Port Gawler Pualco Range Pullen Island Rocky Island (North) Ramsay Rocky Island (South) Salt Lagoon Islands Sceale Bay Scott Creek Seal Bay Searcy Bay Seddon Simpson Simpson Desert Sinclair Island Sir Joseph Banks Group Sleaford Mere Spring Gully Talisker Tallaringa Telowie Gorge The Dutchmans Stern The Pages Torrens Island Troubridge Island Tumby Island Venus Bay Vivonne Bay Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Wahgunyah Waitpinga Waldegrave Islands Warrenben West Island Whidbey Isles Whyalla Wills Creek Winninowie Wittelbee Yumbarra

Game reserves	Bool Lagoon Bucks Lake Chowilla Currency Creek Lake Robe Loch Luna Moorook Mud Islands Poocher Swamp Tolderol

Recreation parks	Anstey Hill Blackwood Forest Brownhill Creek Caratoola Cobbler Creek Granite Island Greenhill Long Island O'Halloran Hill Onkaparinga River Shepherds Hill Sturt Gorge Totness

Regional Reserves	Chowilla Innamincka Lake Frome Nullarbor Simpson Desert Strzelecki Yellabinna

Conservation reserves	Bernouilli

Wilderness Protection Areas	Billiatt Cape Bouguer Cape Gantheaume Cape Torrens Danggali Hambridge Hincks Investigator Group Memory Cove Nullarbor Nuyts Archipelago Ravine des Casoars Western River Yellabinna

Aquatic reserves	American River Aldinga Reef Bales Beach Barker Inlet Blanche Harbour Coobowie Cowleds Landing Goose Island Great Australian Bight Marine Park Whale Sanctuary Point Labatt Port Noarlunga Reef Seal Bay St Kilda – Chapman Creek Troubridge Hill West Island Yatala Harbour

Other protected areas	Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary Arkaroola Protection Area

Coordinates: 35°09′S 138°28′E / 35.150°S 138.467°E / -35.150; 138.467

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